1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multiple-service offering apparatus such as a multiple-service offering communication terminal which has a plurality of devices having a function to inform a user and offers a plurality of services with a single apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Services which enable information to be accessed by various means such as voice, data and facsimile are offered by wireless communication. Further, these services include a service which enables a user to specify a receiver to be communicated with and a broadcast service which enables a user belonging to a specific group to receive information. In recent years, a multiple-service offering communication terminal which can offer these services with a single communication terminal has been used. This is intended to expand the function of a communication terminal by connecting the communication terminal to a handset for voice communication, data terminal such as a personal computer for data communication, facsimile for facsimile communication, a push-to-talk microphone for push-to-talk communication and the like. This communication terminal is effective as a portable communication terminal when a plurality of communication lines cannot be laid. The above multiple-service offering communication terminal comprises a communication terminal body and various accessory terminals connected to the communication terminal body subordinately. Since a device as means of informing a user is provided for the communication terminal body and each of the accessory terminals, a user is in such an environment that a plurality of devices to check information with are provided.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the constitution of a multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art. Reference numeral 1 denotes a communication terminal body for transmitting and receiving information with an unshown base station, and 2 an accessory terminal unit comprising a plurality of accessory terminals to be operated by a user for communication. The accessory terminal unit 2 comprises accessory terminals--a handset 2a, data terminal 2b, facsimile terminal 2c, push-to-talk microphone 2d and external speaker 2e--and device units 16a to 16e having a function to inform a user, such as a speaker and LED, provided for the respective accessory terminals 2a to 2e. The communication terminal body 1 comprises a communication control unit 3 for processing wire or wireless communication with the base station, a multiple-service control unit 4, consisting of a voice service control unit 4a, data service control unit 4b, facsimile service control unit 4c, and push-to-talk service control unit 4d, for controlling a plurality of communication services, an accessory terminal control unit 5, consisting of a handset control unit 5a, data terminal control unit 5b, facsimile terminal control unit 5c, push-to-talk microphone control unit 5d and external speaker control unit 5e corresponding to the above accessory terminals 2a to 2e of the accessory terminal unit 2, for controlling the accessory terminals 2a to 2e, and a communication terminal state detection unit 6 for monitoring communication terminal states such as the states of the above accessory terminals 2a to 2e and the state of a circuit and for detecting a failure or the like. In FIG. 5, reference symbols 7a to 7e are wire or wireless transmission lines connecting the communication terminal body 1 to the accessory terminals 2a to 2e.
A description is subsequently given of the operation of the above-structured multiple-service offering communication terminal. To offer a service such a voice service or data service to a user, the communication control unit 3 processes the transmission and reception of signals for the service with the base station and activates the corresponding service control unit out of the service control units 4a to 4d of the multiple-service control unit 4. The activated service control unit activates one or more control units to be used by a user for the service out of the control units 5a to 5e for controlling the accessory terminals 2a to 2e. The control units 5a to 5e control devices 16a to 16e such as a display, speaker and microphone provided for the respective accessory terminals 2a to 2e to offer the service to the user.
Thus, the multiple-service offering communication terminal offers services such as a voice service and a data service through the accessory terminals corresponding to the respective services and the devices provided for the above respective accessory terminals. The user uses an accessory terminal for each service. Combinations of accessory terminals and devices other than the above combinations of the accessory terminals and the devices provided for the respective accessory terminals are possible.
When the communication terminal state detection unit 6 detects a failure or abnormality in the apparatus or abnormality in a communication circuit while the multiple-service offering communication terminal is in operation, a signal indicative of the detection of abnormality is transmitted to the accessory terminal control unit 5. The accessory terminal control unit 5 informs an accessory terminal used by the user of the accessory terminal unit 2 or a default accessory terminal. This default accessory terminal is an accessory terminal which becomes effective when the user does not use a specific accessory terminal and is automatically displayed on a display device when the apparatus is turned on. This accessory terminal can be specified by the user in advance. The user accesses information transmitted to the device (such as a display) of his/her accessory terminal or default accessory terminal to know a failure, abnormality or the like.
However, since the above information is transmitted only to the effective accessory terminal, unless the user selects the effective accessory terminal out of a plurality of accessory terminals connected to access the information, he/she cannot access the common information on a failure, abnormality or the like. When information on a detected failure or the like which requires an urgent countermeasure is to be accessed, the user must select the effective accessory terminal and access the information. Further, when the display of the effective accessory terminal is located away from the place where the user uses the accessory terminal, the user must go to the display and access the information.
The above multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art has a function to connect or disconnect an accessory terminal to or from the communication terminal body 1 when necessary. When the user disconnects an accessory terminal other than his/her using accessory terminal intentionally or accidentally while he/she uses an accessory terminal for offering a service, he/she can continue the above service without influencing his/her using accessory terminal. However, when the user disconnects his/her using accessory terminal intentionally or accidentally, the multiple-service offering communication terminal cannot continue the above service. To resume the service, the multiple-service offering communication terminal must be reset or powered on again to turn it on again. However, since an accessory terminal which can offer another service is connected to the multiple-service offering communication terminal even when the user's using accessory terminal is disconnected, communication with the other party can be continued using the accessory terminal. However, as the multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art does not have this function, a service cannot be continued to be offered.
Further, since the multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art provides all received information for the user to the user, when the user operates a service, the user's operation is interrupted or canceled by the reception of the information. That is, when the user is operating one of the accessory terminals connected to the multiple-service offering communication terminal to use a communication service and a communication service other than the service is received from the base station, the communication control unit 3 processes the reception of incoming signals regardless of the type of the received communication service or whether he/she is operating the accessory terminal or not and informs him/her of the reception of the signals even though he/she is operating the accessory terminal. Therefore, the user has to interrupt his/her operation. FIG. 6 is a table showing judgment on the processing of reception by the multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art. Even when the user is using an accessory terminal for the received communication service or an accessory terminal not for the received service, he/she is informed of the reception of the service and requested to instruct the changing of an effective terminal.
Since the multiple-service offering communication terminal of the prior art comprises a plurality of accessory terminals, its function to inform the user of a failure or the reception of a signal is complicated and its operation efficiency is low. The multiple-service offering apparatus which offers various services and comprises a plurality of devices has a problem with the operation efficiency of its user informing function.